ABSTRACT
Purpura Purpura is a clinical term which implies hemorrhage into the dermis, i.e., ex
travasation of red blood cells. The hemorrhage in the dermis is clinically subclassified according to size into petechiae with a size less than 3 mm in diameter vs ecchymoses which are larger hemorrhages. Collections of blood in the skin or sub cutaneous tissue are defined as hematomas. In general, purpuras imply damage to the blood vessel either traumatic, obstructive or inflammatory. Histopathologically we classify purpuras into noninflammatory or inflammatory. The former are usually associated with obstruction of capillaries or arterioles by fibrin thrombi, platelets, immunoglobulin complexes, bacterial thrombi, cholesterol and calcium deposits, or other causes. Inflammatory purpura usually imply vasculitis.
